Tool for applying heat sealable cable bands



April 14, 1959 TOOL FR APPLYING HEAT SEALABLE CABLE BANDS H. K. MCLARENFiled April 16, 1954 0 J\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\L,'e

/NvENm/a Y H4225/ K MCL/wav United States Patent O TOOL FOR APPLYINGHEAT SEALABLE CABLE 1 BANDS Harry K. McLaren, Playa Del Rey, Calif.,assignor to Cal-Tronics Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporationof Nevada Application April 16, 1954, Serial No. 423,610

5 Claims. (Cl. 53-198) The present invention relates to the formation ofa bundle of a plurality of wires and, more particularly to a tool to beused in the formation of such a bundle.

The term bundle of wires as used herein designates a plurality ofindividual wires, such as, for example, small electrical conductorsutilized in electronic work which are secured together in order thatthese wires may be easily and conveniently grouped and passed from onelocation to another. Such bundles of wires are frequently employed inaircraft, electronic and other industries in connecting controls withvarious operative mechanisms, such as, for example, servomotors. In allof these uses, it is frequently desired to detach one or more conductorsat various locations where they lead to individual components.

Bundles of wire of the broad category described have been created inprior art in very diverse ways. Frequently, individual Wires have beentied in a group at periodic intervals by means of string. This proceduresuters from a number of disadvantages, not the least of which is thelabor involved and the tendency of string to give way under certaincircumstances. It has also been proposed to pass individual wiresforming a bundle through various types of conduits, such as, forexample, fabric or extruded resin. Such procedures are inherently quiteexpensive and they also suffer from the disadvantage that it is diicultto select on the job a precise Wire to be removed from the bundle in anygiven location.

It is a broad object of the instant invention to produce wire bundleswhich mark a substantial improvement over the prior constructionsbroadly indicated in the preceding paragraph. A further and relatedobject is to provide a tool for creating new bundle constructions of theinstant invention which tool is comparatively simple, and which isinexpensive and yet very effective. Still further objects of theinvention will be apparent from the balance of this specification, theappended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a view of a wire bundle secured in accordance with thisdisclosure; and

Fig. 2 illustrates a device for use in creating wire bundles asdescribed.

Brieiiy, it may be stated that the broad objects of the invention areachieved by providing a tool for holding a plurality of wires togetherin a bundle with the aid of spaced heat scalable bands, each band beingsealed at its ends immediately adjacent to this bundle by the tool.Since, with this construction, the individual wires are tightly held andsince, as broadly described herein, a plurality of spaced bands are usedin order to keep the individual wires together, certain of these Wiresmay be selected and removed from the bundle for attachment toappropriate components as desired. Obviously the invention can beemployed to secure a plurality of bundles of wire, each of which hasbeen fastened by a number of spaced bands as indicated, into a larger,composite wire bundle.

The tool of this invention is capable of forming wire bundles bygrouping a plurality of wires together into a bundle, holding thesewires tightly in position for positioning a heat scalable, e.g.,thermoplastic resin, strip around said wires, and sealing this stripclosely adjacent to said Wires so as to form a permanently held wirebundle. More specifically, the present invention provides a device whichcomprises means for holding two adjacent ends of a strip ofthermoplastic material, means for tightening said strip around thebundle of wires, and means for sealing the adjacent ends of said stripadja cent to said bundle of wires while said strip is being held tightlyaround said bundle so as to permanently form a bundle of wires.

Further objects of lthe invention are to achieve constructions asdescribed in the foregoing brief summary of the invention.

Perhaps the broad details of the invention will be best apparent withreference to Fig. 1 in which there is shown a plurality of individualwires 10 held together so as to form a bundle by means of athermoplastic resin strip 11 surrounding these wires, and holding themin fixed relation to one another by means of a sealed area 12. Thissealed area 12 can frequently be used to an advantage in securing thewires 10 to a supporting surface such as a wall by nailing or otherwisefastening this area 12 to such a surface. A large number ofthermoplastic resins may be employed for this purpose within the broadscope of the instant disclosure, but particularly suitable thermoplasticresins are those such as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate,polyvinyl butyrate, and polyethylene. These resins are fiexible, instrip form, and may be readily sealed at a comparatively low temperatureso as to form a substantially permanent seal with a minimum ofdiiiiculty. Other thermoplastic resins besides those specifically namedcan, however, be employed with the invention.

The apparatus used in forming a thermoplastic resin band sealed about aplurality of wires so as to form a permanent wire bundle is shown inFig. 2 of the drawings as consisting of a central body member 15 ofgenerally elongated shape, having along its major direction a slot 16leading to a cavity 17 formed between projecting pivot supports 18having opposed pivots 19 carrying jaws 20 consisting of arms 21, theends of which removed from the body member 15 carry electrodes orsealing jaws 22 insulated from the balance of the construction byinsulators 22 and cutting means 23, the ends of the arms 21 Within thecavity 17 being provided with opposed projections 24 normally biasedtowards one another by means of springs 25.

Disposed within the slot 16 is a sliding member 26 which is normallyurged towards the cavity 17 by means of a spring 27 attached to aprojection 28 of this member 26 and to the body member 15, as shown.This sliding member 26 terminates in a lower jaw 29 having an upstandingclamp 30 and a pivoted upper jaw 31 having a clamp 32 opposing the clamp30. It is seen from a detailed examination of Fig. 2 of the drawingsthat both of these jaws 29 and 31 bear against the projections 24. Theupper jaw 31 is pivoted upon the sliding member 26 by means of a pivot33 positioned as shown, and possesses an arm 34 on the side of the pivot33 removed from the cavity 17. The arm 34 is normally connected to themain body of the sliding member 26 by means of a spring 35 and isconnected by a spring 40 to an arm 37 of a handle 38 which is pivotallymounted on the body member 15 by means of a pivot 39. On the handle 38on the side of the pivot 39 removed from the arm 37, there is a link 41which is mounted on the handle 38 by means of a pivot 42 and isconnected to the sliding member 26 by means of another pivot 43.

Appropriate means (not shown) are provided to electrically connect thesealing jaws Z2 to a source of current. These jaws 22 may either consistof heating means or may simply be conductive bars which can beiconnected to a dielectric heating apparatus.

In utilizing the device shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, a group ofindividual wires such as the group shown in Fig. l of the drawings isloosely held together in the shape of a bundle and a strip ofthermoplastic ,resinous material as indicated is placed around thisbundle with its ends passing between the sealing jaws 22 and between theclamps k30 and 32. When this has been accomplished, the handle 38 ispressed towards the body member 15, closing the clamps 30 and 32 so asto grasp the ends of the thermoplastic resin strip. Simultaneously, thesliding member 26 is moved back from the cavity 17 forcing theprojections 24 apart by virtue of the fact that these projections slideagainst sloping surfaces 45 of the jaws 29 and 31. This action causesthe arms 21 to rotate about the pivots 19 until the sealing jaws 22 areforced against the strip of thermoplastic resinous material. During themotion of the handle 38 before this occurs, this strip is graduallybeing pulled between the sealing jaws 22, tightening the strip around.the bundle of individual wires. After these electrodes have been forcedtogether, an appropriate current is passed to the Sealing jaws 22 inorder to seal the adjacent portions of the thermoplastic resin strip.Simultaneously, the parts of this strip passing through the cutters 23are severed, removing any tabs from the fastening strips.

Those skilled in the art will realize that the herein describedinvention is capable of wide modifications withA in the scope of theinstant disclosure. Such modifications are to be considered as part ofthe inventive concept insofar as they are dened by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the class described, which comprises: spaced sealingjaws; jaw means for holding two adjacent ends of a strip ofthermoplastic material positioned adjacent to lsaid sealing jaws; meansfor clamping said jaw means against one another; means for moving saidjaw means away from `said sealing jaws so as to pull a ystrip oflthermoplastic material through said sealing jaws; and means for urgingsaid sealing jaws against one another so as to Aseal a strip ofthermoplastic material kwhen said jaw means are removed from theirinitial position `adjacent to said sealing jaws.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein cutter means are attached tosaid sealing jaws and wherein said cutter means are actuated when saidsealing jaws are urged against one another.

3. In combination: two sealing jaws at least one of which is movabletoward and away from the other; two clamping jaws at least one of whichis movable toward and away from the other; means for moving said oneclamping jaw toward the other; means for producing relative movement ofsaid clamping jaws toward and away from said sealing jaws; and meansresponsive to relative movement of said clamping jaws `away from -saidsealing jaws for moving said one sealing jaw toward the other.

4. In combination: two Sealing jaws at least one of which is movabletoward and away from the other; two clamping jaws at least one of whichis movable toward and ,away from the other; means for moving said `oneclamping jaw toward the other; means for producing relative movement ofsaid clamping jaw toward and away from said sealing jaws; and meansinterconnecting one of said `clamping jaws and said one sealing jaw andresponsive to relative movement of said clamping jaws away ,from saidsealing jaws for moving said kone sealing jaw .toward .the other.

5.1m combination: two sealing jaws at least one of which 'is movabletoward and away from the other; two clamping jaws at least 4one of whichis ,movable `toward and away from the other; means for moving said .oneKclamping jaw toward the other; means .for producing relative movementof said clamping jaws toward and away from said sealing jaws; and meansresponsive .to relative movement of said clamping jaws away from saidsealing jaws for moving said one sealing jaw toward the other, includinga cam on one of said clamping jaws and including a lever engageable withsaid cam and carrying said one sealing jaw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,782,812 Dibner Nov. 25, 1930 1,955,468 Noyes Apr. 17, 1934 2,168,583Ringler Aug. 8, 1939 '2,276,584 Malhiot Mar. 17, 1942 2,281,187 WatersApr. 28, '1942 2,324,745 Weber Iuly 20, 1943 2,579,088 Piazze et al.Dec. 18, 1951 2,610,137 Williamson et al. Sept. 9, 1952

